Children with heart failure survived longer while awaiting a heart transplant when they received therapy with Berlin Heart’s Excor pediatric ventricular assist device than when treated with the current standard of care, according to a new study.

The Excor PAD device was not without risks, but survival rates for children on the device were "significantly higher" than those in the control group, according to the study’s authors.

The pediatric VAD is a mechanical cardiac assist device for critically ill pediatric patients suffering from severe heart failure. The system supports patients from newborns to teenagers, helping to keep them alive while they’re awaiting heart transplantation.